1.8How mesothelioma is different from lung cancer

You will hear them spoken of together. They’re not the same disease.

Lung cancer starts inside the lung itself, usually in the lining of the airways. Mesothelioma starts in the sheet of tissue around the lung. Lung cancer can be caused by smoking; mesothelioma is almost always caused by asbestos. The two have different scans, biopsies, treatments, and prognoses. They are managed by different multidisciplinary teams in larger NHS centres.

Why this matters to you:

• A solicitor handling asbestos lung cancer claims and a solicitor handling mesothelioma claims are usually the same firms, but the legal tests and the compensation routes are slightly different.
• The 2014 Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme covers mesothelioma. It does not cover asbestos-related lung cancer.
• IIDB pays the full 100% rate automatically for diagnosed mesothelioma. Lung cancer requires an assessment.

In NHS practice, mesothelioma cases are most often discussed at a lung or thoracic cancer MDT, with input from a regional mesothelioma MDT or specialist where one exists, and from the national peritoneal MDT at Basingstoke for peritoneal cases. The exact set-up varies between trusts. Your CNS can tell you whose MDT your case sits in and when it’s discussed.

If you ever see your diagnosis written as both — for instance, mesothelioma and a lung cancer in the same person — your team and your solicitor will handle each on its own terms. Ask your CNS to spell it out in writing.